This invention relates to apparatus and methods for therapeutic intervention of the complex immune response in rheumatoid and psoriatic arthritis. More specifically, this invention relates to the treatment of arthritis by transilluminating electromagnetic radiation having a predetermined bandwidth and power density to photolyze the antigen evoking the complex immune response.
The correlation of palliation of the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis with a subject's exposure to direct sunlight has been well established for more than a century, as has seasonal severity of flare-ups of the disease syndrome. These data suggest a photoreactive mechanism is involved.
Many devices which generate and project radiation transcutaneously have been used to treat arthritics, such as diathermy and laser devices. The transient anti-inflammatory action of induced hyperthermia is well-established. Examples of these devices are disclosed in German Patent No. DE 3103731 A1 and Soviet Union Patent Publications SET 993959 and SU 741889. SU 993959 discloses introducing the antibiotic tetracycline into the subject's interarticular space and then irradiating the joint with a helium-neon laser for two to four minutes. SU 741889 discloses introducing dye material into the joint cavity and then applying a 488 nm argon laser to the joint for five minutes. These techniques are palliative, but do not suggest a permanent remission of the disease, or sustained action in arresting the progression of the disease. Further, these techniques require invasive procedures and hypodermic introduction of materials.
Other methods of providing palliation of arthritic symptoms are disclosed in Soviet Union Patent Publications SU 1266540 and SU 1142125A. These methods deliver thermal energy to the inflamed joint. Again, these methods make no claim to prolonged remission or arrest of disease progression.